Training of Trainers of Civic Education Program
Project Citizen: KAMI BANGSA INDONESIA

This workshop was administrated by the Center for Civic Education Indonesia (CCEI) and funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

I. Facts

II.  Personal Perspective  (Acih Sari, CCEI Program Coordinator)

The training of trainers was held from 20-22 November 2007 at the Quality hotel, Makassar, South Sulawesi was an introduction to the civic education program named Kami Bangsa Indonesia (Project Citizen). Kami Bangsa Indonesia is a civic education instructional program that promotes competent and responsible participation in government. The program helps the participants learn how to monitor and influence public policy. In the process of completing the KBI learning strategy, participants increase their civic knowledge, improve their civic skills and develop supports for democratic values and principles.  

Eleven participants, three or four from each site, came from Poso (Central Sulawesi), Ambon (Maluku) and Sorong (West Papua). They were lecturers, a Junior high school principal and the head of regional education department who had many experiences in training and had joined many workshops before. Participant trainees. They were recommended by universities, colleges and religious organizations, including Muhammadiyah, Christian School Education Board and the Catholic Church.

On the first day of the training, the participants were given information about CCEI programs and the objectives of KBI training of trainers. The participants were trained in all aspects related to KBI program, such as its principles and methodology. Soon the participants got to know about each other and work cooperatively to identify students` problems that happened in Makassar, South Sulawesi. They read local newspapers to help them identify students` problems and to support their opinion in finding a correct and relevant problem to be the class study problem. Finally, after a discussion and a voting process the problem of “working students” was selected to be the class studied problem because it made many students drop out of school. A professor from Hasanuddin University was invited to give a lecture about what public policy is and every participant had an opportunity to ask questions. To understand public policy is very important to the KBI program, because KBI teaches students how to propose a correct public policy to solve a selected problem.

On the second day, 21 November 2007, all participants did simulations as KBI trainers. They conducted a session of KBI program and found it very interested to train people and to get involved in the KBI training. They did a simulation, where two participants acted as students who interviewed a principal to get information about the problem they identified. They also had a lot of fun in preparing their portfolios.

On the last day, each group (3 participants in one group) presented their portfolio. All the members of the group opened the presentation by cheers. Then they explained and answered the judges’ questions. After receiving comments and feedback from trainers and CCEI’s staff, all participants watched KBI Showcase film and the presentation of Indonesian delegation on International Project Citizen Showcase which was held on 14-17 July 2007 at Capitol Hill, Washington DC. The films gave more illustrations about the KBI showcase format.
In conclusion, this training of trainers for the KBI program was a great success. With the support from their institutions and other organizations, all participants were optimistic about conducting a KBI training for teachers in Poso, Ambon and Sorong in January and February 2008.